"Anyone who dares to violate my rules," Lancelot declared, pressing his foot down, "will face death. Not just you—even if that Doflamingo comes here himself, I'll still make him bleed on the spot!"
By the end, Lancelot's voice had turned icy cold, exuding a powerful, draconic pressure that sent chills down everyone's spine.
Here, he was the king—and the only king.
From this moment on, he would establish his authority and make sure everyone knew and abided by his rules.
....
"Fufufu... Fufufufufu!"
With Doflamingo's vast intelligence network, it didn't take long for him to learn about the situation at Whiskey Peak.
By now, a cold, terrifying rage had already surged within him.
Behind his signature glasses, his eyes emitted a blood-red glow that made people tremble.
Diamante and Buffalo, killed.
Baby 5, captured.
This was the greatest humiliation Doflamingo had suffered in over a decade.
Not even when he was being relentlessly pursued by Vice Admiral Tsuru had he endured such a disgrace.
Of course, this was also a provocation.
Not just against him, but against the entire Underworld as well.
Especially against Umit, who was known as the "Shipping King." The "Four Seas Exchange" established by Lancelot was essentially snatching food right out of Umit's mouth.
Thus, these two parties—Doflamingo and Umit—were the ones with the greatest conflict.
The rational choice would be to wait for both sides to fight to the death and then reap the benefits.
But he couldn't hold back anymore.
Anyone who dared to harm his "Family" must die.
Giola, one of his executives, reminded him from the side.
"Young master, the intelligence has already confirmed it. That Marine, Lancelot, was indeed acting under the orders of the Celestial Dragons to establish the Four Seas Exchange there. So, directly attacking might not be wise."
Trebol, another top executive, also wore a grave expression, his eyes filled with anger.
However, he suppressed his rage and forced himself to stay calm.
He then said, "Nee, nee, Doffy... Giola's concern is valid. Since it's authorized by the Celestial Dragons, we can't act recklessly. Unless... you want to break ties with the World Government."
Crack, crack, crack... Doflamingo clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles made unsettling, popping sounds.
"Fufufu... Killing someone," he finally sneered, "doesn't necessarily require doing it personally."
Hearing this, Trebol and Giola exchanged a glance and breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
This meant Doflamingo had taken their words into consideration.
Doflamingo looked at Trebol and Jora, the killing intent in his eyes nearly overflowing.
"Trebol, issue bounties. In the underground world. Lancelot, Marine Rear Admiral, East Blue Governor-General, Head of the Four Seas Exchange—bounty of 600 million Berries. Mr. 2, Bon Clay—bounty of 100 million Berries. Mr. 3, Galdino—bounty of 80 million Berries. Miss Goldenweek—bounty of 60 million Berries. Mr. 5, Gem—bounty of 50 million Berries."
After a brief pause, Doflamingo added, a cruel smile twisting his lips, "If someone kills all five of them, aside from the bounty reward, I will also give them an additional Devil Fruit. Their choice of Paramecia or Zoan."
Trebol, "Understood, Doffy. I'll take care of it right away."
Doflamingo nodded and said to Giola, "Contact the Beasts Pirates. Tell Kaido... if they help me eliminate Lancelot and his group of five, I will do everything in my power to gather materials and produce two additional batches of SMILEs for them, well within the timeframe. Additionally, I'll include two real Zoan-type Devil Fruits."
It had to be said—only someone like Doflamingo, who dealt in the Devil Fruit trade in the underground world, could afford to use Devil Fruits as bounty rewards so lavishly.
"Yes, Young Master!"
Doflamingo added another sentence. "Send a message to Umit. After all, we have some history. It'd be a shame if he lost his entire shipping business without even realizing why. Fufufu..."
Giola nodded.
Then Trebol and Giola withdrew, each going off to handle their own dark tasks.
After the two left, the anger in Doflamingo's heart surged once again.
He slammed his palm down on the heavy table in front of him.
"Crash..."
Under the terrifying force, the table shattered into pieces.
At the same time, the red glow in his eyes behind his glasses grew even more intense.
....
Meanwhile, at that very moment, Lancelot was on Whiskey Peak living the good life.
Lise was massaging his feet.
Baby 5 was behind him, dutifully kneading his shoulders with her hands while simultaneously using her ample assets to press against his back.
Miss Goldenweek was nearby, quietly brewing him tea.
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may..."
This is how a real man should live.
What? You're wondering why Baby 5 is so obedient?
Because Baby 5 is the easiest person in the world to win over
. All you have to do is tell her, "I need you..." And then... she'll become your most loyal subordinate and woman.
In the original story, she was proposed to countless times.
If not for Doflamingo interfering, she would have probably been sold off to who knows where.
What's even more absurd is that during the Dressrosa decisive battle, when Baby 5 fought against Sai, the 13th leader of the Happo Navy, she developed feelings for him due to a misunderstanding that made her think he "needed" her.
When Sai even told Baby 5 to end her own life, she actually prepared to commit suicide, and would have done so if Sai hadn't stopped her.
She likely would have truly killed herself.
That's just how incredibly extreme her personality is.
Just like now.
Forget just having her give Lancelot a massage—even if he told her to kill herself, she would obey.
What man could refuse such an unconditionally obedient maid? So, she stayed.
Diamante and Buffalo had already been turned into Devil Fruits in Lancelot's possession.
His current lifestyle involved visiting Lise one day, Baby 5 the next day, and... all three (Lina, Lise, and Baby 5) together the day after.
He was living in pure bliss.
After all, with what happened to Diamante, Buffalo, and Baby 5, plus the news that he had "defeated" Moria and Crocodile, everyone in the first half of the Grand Line—whether from kingdoms, the underworld, or other forces—were all extremely wary of him.
Add to that his "official" status as a Celestial Dragon-backed agent, which made people even more hesitant to act against him.
So, his Four Seas Exchange had begun operating, to some extent.
Although most people, fearing him, chose to pay a portion of their cargo as a "transit fee," there were still some who chose to entrust their cargo to his Four Seas Exchange for transport.
...
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Mr. 3 came before Lancelot, his expression worried.
"Sir... the goods in the warehouse have piled up like a mountain. We're running out of space. And the Berries in our possession have been spent on hiring new workers and ships..."
But before he could finish, Lancelot waved his hand.
"The pirates that needed dealing with in the East Blue have mostly been handled. I already had Gin come over; he should arrive today. Once he's here, he'll take charge of Whiskey Peak, and you'll serve as his advisor."
"And I," Lancelot continued, standing up, "will personally escort a shipment to the West Blue first. It's time to completely open up this West Blue route. From now on, anyone flying the flag of our Four Seas Exchange will be untouchable in the West Blue."
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